The odds of having to shoot a black bear in self defense are very low, as 99 out of a hundred will run from you. "Yeah, an old friend replied, "but then there's that one."
Many, many people have been chewed up and/or killed by black bears. I try to be armed at all times when in bear country. You will leave the long gun in camp when you walk a few yards out to whiz, but you'll wear a pistol.
In grizzly country if hunting alone I like to carry a handgun in case I get sprung on and separated from the long gun. Laying there wishing you could bleed out faster while a grizzly eats your intestines is not my idea of a happy ending.
A better plan than a "backup pistol" is for you and your armed partner to stay within close range at all times, and ready to protect the other. My Kodiak deer hunting partner and I always slept in separate tents, in case one got pounced on in the night. Not likely, but it has happened.
Last edited by RimfireArtist; 01/01/21.
